We talked about Nathan Kilcrease at the beginning of the weekend. At the end of the weekend, he proved his deadliness. Named the Atlanta Regional MVP, Kilcrease came in and pitched the final 6 innings of last night's ballgame and shut down the Yellow Jackets, allowing only 2 runs and 6 hits.
The scene was surely all too familiar for Tech fans last night, yet another team celebrating on our home field. This year has been especially brutal as our softball team lost to Oregon in the regional championship in Atlanta and now we watch Alabama do the same thing just weeks apart.
Personally, I thought this year/ regional tournament had the best chance for a better outcome, simply because of our pitching depth. Unfortunately when it came down to it, our pitches couldn't find the strike zone when it mattered. And our batters were neutralized by Alabama's pitching.
Thank you to the players and the fans. It was a great regular season and a semi-fun postseason. Let's get 'em next year.
Enough sadness. I have already booked my flight to Omaha for opening weekend of the CWS and last year at Rosenblatt, so that will be fun. Also, the first round of the MLB Draft happened last night and Tech held quite the presence. More information on that after the jump.
Deck McGuire was selected the the Toronto Blue Jays as the 11th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. Congratulations Deck! Last night was surely a bittersweet evening for him. Peter Gammons called him an "innings pitcher" meaning he's the type of guy who can go deep into games, nothing we don't already know.
From SBN's Jeff Sullivan:
McGuire isn't a high-ceiling guy, but with an accurate fastball, a trustworthy change, and a curve without much movement but that he can throw for strikes, McGuire has a full arsenal that allows him to pitch to both lefties and righties. He could arrive pretty fast, barring any unforeseen setbacks, even if he won't be a star.
Additionally, Bluebird Banter goes more in-depth on Deck's selection and you can read about it here.
Tech's prospects also had quite the night. Jake Skole, the brother of Matt Skole, and prized football/baseball recruit here at The Flats was selected by the Texas Rangers as the #15 pick overall. I don't think we'll keep him at Tech, however Sullivan isn't so sure:
Here's a surprise. One figured the Rangers would look for someone signable, but Skole has committed to Georgia Tech to play both football and baseball, so he could be a challenge....
And finally...Clemson fans....we have your entire fanbase on suicide watch. Kyle Parker was drafted 26th overall by the Colorado Rockies. A first round selection with guaranteed money all but guarantees he's gone. Poor Tigers...
...and now the answer to the question that all of you are asking: 88.